DENNIS TAYLOR ANNOUNCES HIS INTENT TO RETIRE AFTER 32 SEASONS AT THE HELM OF UT MARTIN TENNIS PROGRAM
9/10/2019 11:00:00 AM | Tennis
MARTIN, Tenn. – Ten-time conference Coach of the Year Dennis Taylor has announced that he will retire on Dec. 31 after 32 legendary seasons as the University of Tennessee at Martin's head tennis coach.
Taylor, who has amassed 535 career victories since taking over the Skyhawk program in 1987, enters this season ranking fifth amongst active NCAA Division I head women's tennis coaches in wins. His seven Ohio Valley Conference Women's Tennis Coach of the Year awards are the most in league history while he also earned three Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year accolades.
"We have been very successful at UT Martin but winning tennis matches was not my only goal," Taylor said. "Having a strong academic program along with helping young people grow into successful adults was always my main focus from Day One. I am just as proud of the players that have become doctors, engineers, lawyers and amazing Moms and Dads as I am about winning conference championships. I never get tired of hearing from professors in every department that tennis players are always among their best students. Over the years, tennis players have made UT Martin a better university and I am extremely proud of that."
Overall, Taylor coached a pair of national champions, 11 All-Americans, five OVC Players of the Year, three OVC Freshmen of the Year and 74 all-conference honorees in his UT Martin coaching career. He also guided the Skyhawks to nine conference championships during his tenure.
"Simply put, Coach Taylor is one of the most impactful coaches in the history of UT Martin," Skyhawk athletic director Kurt McGuffin said. "His Hall of Fame career sustained an incredible level of consistency and his student-athletes have continually carried on that legacy both on the court and in the classroom. We wish nothing but the best for Dennis in the future."
UT Martin qualified for the OVC Championship tournament a remarkable 26 times in 27 possible seasons under Taylor. The Skyhawks won the OVC crown under Taylor's guidance in 1994, 1995, 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2016 while the women's squad made their first-ever NCAA Regional appearance in 2005.
Taylor's illustrious coaching career began with back-to-back Gulf South Conference men's titles. In 1991, UT Martin gained its first-ever national champions as Luciano D'Andrea won the NCAA Division II national singles title while D'Andrea and Vesa Ponkka teamed up to earn the NCAA Division II doubles championship.
Annually ranked in the top-10 nationally at the Division II level, Taylor helped Skyhawk tennis transition into the Division I and OVC ranks in 1993. The change did not affect Taylor's winning ways, as the UT Martin women's squad boasted a 172-64 record (.729 winning percentage) in OVC play.
"I would like to thank the late Ray Mears and Ms. Bettye Giles for hiring me so many years ago and giving me the opportunity to coach," Taylor said. "I was originally hired to coach just the men's team but Ms. Bettye at the time was also looking for a women's coach and asked me to take over the women's team just for a little while until she could find someone else. That was 32 years ago – I think Ms. Bettye pulled a fast one over on me."
In addition to their excellence on the court, the Skyhawk tennis program cemented itself as one of the top academic teams in the country. Taylor himself was named the Graduate Student of the Year with a 4.0 Grade Point Average during his time at UT Martin and held his student-athletes to a high academic standard. The Skyhawks routinely produced a 3.75 team GPA or higher throughout Taylor's coaching career while several of his student-athletes secured full academic scholarships for their post-graduate studies at various universities across the nation.
Taylor improved UT Martin's tennis facilities, upgraded the strength of schedule and expanded his recruiting base in an effort to make Skyhawk tennis an upper-echelon program. In the spring of 2013, he oversaw a facility facelift as the Skyhawk Tennis Complex was rebuilt with new surfaced courts and a top-of-the-line lighting structure for the first time in program history. Located on Mt. Pelia Road adjacent from the Skyhawk Tennis Complex, the James C. Henson Tennis Center was remodeled in 2007 and includes the player locker room, coaches' offices, a team meeting room, a stringing room, a full kitchen and storage areas.
A Lawrenceburg, Tenn. native, Taylor began his playing career at Martin Methodist College and would later be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. He transferred to UT Martin before his junior campaign and served as team captain and team MVP in both years under head coach James Henson before graduating in 1973.
Taylor is married to the former Sandra Waggener of Martin and has three grown sons: Chris, Joe and Ty.
"I am really going to miss the challenge of taking a group of young high school players and developing them into a championship team," Taylor said. "But I think it's time to let someone else have that opportunity. I would like to thank my wife and three sons – coaching at the collegiate level takes loads of time away from your family. They have sacrificed much over the years and in my retirement I will spend more time with all of them, especially my eight grandkids. I am leaving with enough great memories to last a lifetime thanks to the hundreds of players that have come through the program over the years. I have been extremely lucky to have had a career doing something that I enjoy."
Taylor, who has amassed 535 career victories since taking over the Skyhawk program in 1987, enters this season ranking fifth amongst active NCAA Division I head women's tennis coaches in wins. His seven Ohio Valley Conference Women's Tennis Coach of the Year awards are the most in league history while he also earned three Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year accolades.
"We have been very successful at UT Martin but winning tennis matches was not my only goal," Taylor said. "Having a strong academic program along with helping young people grow into successful adults was always my main focus from Day One. I am just as proud of the players that have become doctors, engineers, lawyers and amazing Moms and Dads as I am about winning conference championships. I never get tired of hearing from professors in every department that tennis players are always among their best students. Over the years, tennis players have made UT Martin a better university and I am extremely proud of that."
Overall, Taylor coached a pair of national champions, 11 All-Americans, five OVC Players of the Year, three OVC Freshmen of the Year and 74 all-conference honorees in his UT Martin coaching career. He also guided the Skyhawks to nine conference championships during his tenure.
"Simply put, Coach Taylor is one of the most impactful coaches in the history of UT Martin," Skyhawk athletic director Kurt McGuffin said. "His Hall of Fame career sustained an incredible level of consistency and his student-athletes have continually carried on that legacy both on the court and in the classroom. We wish nothing but the best for Dennis in the future."
UT Martin qualified for the OVC Championship tournament a remarkable 26 times in 27 possible seasons under Taylor. The Skyhawks won the OVC crown under Taylor's guidance in 1994, 1995, 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2016 while the women's squad made their first-ever NCAA Regional appearance in 2005.
Taylor's illustrious coaching career began with back-to-back Gulf South Conference men's titles. In 1991, UT Martin gained its first-ever national champions as Luciano D'Andrea won the NCAA Division II national singles title while D'Andrea and Vesa Ponkka teamed up to earn the NCAA Division II doubles championship.
Annually ranked in the top-10 nationally at the Division II level, Taylor helped Skyhawk tennis transition into the Division I and OVC ranks in 1993. The change did not affect Taylor's winning ways, as the UT Martin women's squad boasted a 172-64 record (.729 winning percentage) in OVC play.
"I would like to thank the late Ray Mears and Ms. Bettye Giles for hiring me so many years ago and giving me the opportunity to coach," Taylor said. "I was originally hired to coach just the men's team but Ms. Bettye at the time was also looking for a women's coach and asked me to take over the women's team just for a little while until she could find someone else. That was 32 years ago – I think Ms. Bettye pulled a fast one over on me."
In addition to their excellence on the court, the Skyhawk tennis program cemented itself as one of the top academic teams in the country. Taylor himself was named the Graduate Student of the Year with a 4.0 Grade Point Average during his time at UT Martin and held his student-athletes to a high academic standard. The Skyhawks routinely produced a 3.75 team GPA or higher throughout Taylor's coaching career while several of his student-athletes secured full academic scholarships for their post-graduate studies at various universities across the nation.
Taylor improved UT Martin's tennis facilities, upgraded the strength of schedule and expanded his recruiting base in an effort to make Skyhawk tennis an upper-echelon program. In the spring of 2013, he oversaw a facility facelift as the Skyhawk Tennis Complex was rebuilt with new surfaced courts and a top-of-the-line lighting structure for the first time in program history. Located on Mt. Pelia Road adjacent from the Skyhawk Tennis Complex, the James C. Henson Tennis Center was remodeled in 2007 and includes the player locker room, coaches' offices, a team meeting room, a stringing room, a full kitchen and storage areas.
A Lawrenceburg, Tenn. native, Taylor began his playing career at Martin Methodist College and would later be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. He transferred to UT Martin before his junior campaign and served as team captain and team MVP in both years under head coach James Henson before graduating in 1973.
Taylor is married to the former Sandra Waggener of Martin and has three grown sons: Chris, Joe and Ty.
"I am really going to miss the challenge of taking a group of young high school players and developing them into a championship team," Taylor said. "But I think it's time to let someone else have that opportunity. I would like to thank my wife and three sons – coaching at the collegiate level takes loads of time away from your family. They have sacrificed much over the years and in my retirement I will spend more time with all of them, especially my eight grandkids. I am leaving with enough great memories to last a lifetime thanks to the hundreds of players that have come through the program over the years. I have been extremely lucky to have had a career doing something that I enjoy."
Friday, May 29
Friday, May 29
Friday, May 29
Friday, May 29